Agriculture

Speaking in the context of a debate on village defence raised by Hon. Ranjith Madduma Bandara, Kariapper acknowledged the significant security role played by volunteer village guards in rural areas such as Kalmunai, Ampara, particularly during periods of conflict along the Mahaweli Oya. He noted that the majority of these guards are paddy farmers who served to protect their own communities while maintaining their agricultural livelihoods, and were equipped with shotguns rather than military-grade weapons. He argued against redeploying them to urban sentry duties in Colombo, which he characterised as unsuitable, and proposed instead that they be integrated into productive rural programmes such as agricultural support or human-elephant conflict mitigation. He also noted for the record that the parliamentary session was being held on Medin Full Moon Poya Day.

Hon. Uthumalebbe raised two concerns regarding agricultural infrastructure in the Ampara District. First, expressing dissatisfaction with a previous response, he reiterated his question about whether dryers could be installed at Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) stores in Ampara. Second, he highlighted that incomplete drainage schemes — specifically the Sambukalappu–Periyakalappu and Karaivagupattu schemes — have left approximately 11,500 acres of paddy lands across multiple areas in the district chronically inundated. He noted that Ministry-level Consultative Committee meetings on Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation had previously resolved to convene a special meeting at the Parliamentary complex involving Ampara District MPs and senior irrigation officials, but that this decision had not been acted upon, and he called on the Deputy Minister to arrange for that meeting to be held.

Deputy Minister Aravinda Senarath responded to a supplementary question regarding paddy purchases, acknowledging that heavy rainfall in the Eastern Province had caused difficulties for farmers. He stated that the Government had taken remedial action by opening Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) stores across eight harvesting districts, including Ampara, and had commenced purchasing operations. He indicated that initial logistical issues arising from the situation were in the process of being resolved.

## Summary Hon. M.S. Uthumalebbe submitted Written Question No. 1302/2025 to the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation regarding flood damage sustained in 2022 to the Deegavapi–Alankulam agricultural road and the Wellakkal Thottam low-water crossing within the Akkaraipattu Divisional Irrigation Engineer's administrative division. The question references a specific departmental letter (DI/AM/WG/AP/002/2022, dated 28 November 2022) in which the Director General of Irrigation directed the Ampara District Irrigation Director to prepare an assessment report for renovation, with a recommendation to include the works in the Irrigation Department's 2023 Development Plan. The member seeks confirmation of whether the assessment report was received, the date of its receipt, and what concrete steps have since been taken toward renovation of the damaged infrastructure.

Hon. Chandrasekar responded to a fellow member's remarks on the beach seine fishing industry, disputing claims that the industry had collapsed and clarifying that only mechanised equipment (winches and tractors) had been halted. He criticised the previous administration for approving beach seine operations without adequate environmental assessments or NARA (National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency) reports, noting that net lengths had far exceeded the permitted 1.5-kilometre limit, reaching up to 10 kilometres, causing significant harm to over 5,000 small-scale fishermen and the marine environment. He stated that the government had consulted with affected parties six months prior and is currently in discussions, with Presidential involvement, to identify alternative methods such as the SND system or to establish regulated procedures for continuing traditional fishing practices.

Hon. Dilip Wedaarachchi raised a question directed at the Minister of Fisheries regarding a ban on beach seine (maadal) fishing imposed since December. He noted that a Presidential committee comprising five members from each side had reached a decision in February, and highlighted that the fishing season in the Puttalam District and Negombo area concludes in April, effectively leaving affected fishermen without income for the December–April period. He argued that requiring these communities to wait a further two months was unjust, particularly given that the inquiry had already been completed.

## Summary Deputy Minister Namal Karunaratne provided a written response outlining the administrative framework governing **Agricultural Research and Production Assistants (ARPAs)**, appointed under the recruitment procedure approved on **25 July 2013**. He confirmed that ARPAs have been assigned duties and responsibilities under the **Agrarian Development Act, No. 46 of 2000**, with a formal duty list issued accordingly, though no research activities have been assigned to them by the Department to date. Regarding performance evaluation, District Offices have been directed to use standardised reporting formats, with ARPAs at divisional level responsible for data collection and field-level coordination with relevant parties. Supporting annexures detailing cadre structure, duty lists, and evaluation procedures were placed in the parliamentary library.

Deputy Minister Namal Karunaratne, responding on behalf of the Minister of Agriculture, provided information regarding the deployment of Agrarian Research and Production Assistants (ARPAs) across Sri Lanka's districts. He noted that ARPA divisions are demarcated along Grama Niladhari Division boundaries and are assigned across all provinces except the Northern and Eastern Provinces, where coverage is limited due to existing vacancies. The district-wise breakdown of ARPAs as of 31 December 2025 was referred to an annex, with the Department of Agrarian Development identified as the responsible institution and the "Agrarian Development Officer" as the designated head of each Agrarian Service Centre.

## Summary Minister of Fisheries Ramalingam Chandrasekar provided a detailed ministerial response on the status and welfare of Sri Lanka's fishing industry. He stated that the sector employs approximately 320,470 active fishers across marine and inland fisheries, drawn from over 272,000 fishing households. The Minister outlined two existing individual insurance schemes for fishermen — one through the Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation and one through the Samurdhi and Social Security Board ("Sayura" scheme) — covering accidental death, disability, hospitalisation, and related contingencies. He also announced the launch of a new contributory Fishermen's Pension and Social Protection Scheme on 21 November 2025 (World Fisheries Day), which provides a lifetime monthly pension from age 60, lump-sum disability and death benefits, and noted that legal amendments are underway to extend survivor's benefits to spouses.

Hon. Stephanie Fernando directed a series of questions to the Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources regarding the regulation of the traditional *madal* (shore-seine) fishery in Sri Lanka. She sought information on the geographic distribution of this fishery, the licensing framework governing participation, and the rules around mechanisation — specifically whether tractors and winches are permitted or have been prohibited, and the rationale for any such prohibition. She further requested details on how many operators were previously authorised to use machinery and over what period. Additionally, Fernando asked about the scientific basis for regulating mechanical equipment, whether offshore distance limits apply to *madal* operations, and whether the relevant ministries oversee these matters — implicitly raising concerns about unresolved issues flagged by *madal* fishing communities regarding the use of machinery.